Focus & Simplify

The focus & simplification of processes & procedures is about improving the effectiveness of work processes and procedure documentation. The basic principles of Focus & Simplify are:

	Procedures should provide clear, concise guidance.
	Processes should be efficient and designed to reduce the
	chance of error and failure.
	Job aids should serve to provide accessible, on-site tools
	that employees need to perform their work.
	Procedures and job aids should be used in training new
	employees and reinforcing performance expectations.

How does Focus & Simplify improve safety?
When an employee perceives that a work process or procedure is too burdensome, the probability that the employee will not comply with process or procedure requirements increases. What can result is a situation in which the employee will resort to just “figure it out on my own.” Sometimes employees turn to colleagues for guidance who may or may not be using best practices. Other times, employee use practices that have worked for them in the past or use a trial-and-error approach to problem solving. This is called knowledge-based performance, and the probability that a person will come up with the wrong solution when working in this mode can range from 30% to 60%. That’s a high failure rate. The goal of Focus & Simplify is to keep employees in a rule-based performance mode by designing work processes to make best-practice decision making intuitive and providing employees with procedure documentation and tools that are clear and easy to use.

The Approach
A methodical, incremental approach is used to implementing Focus & Simplify with the guidance of HPI consultants. Leaders identify key processes that are characterized by high risk or high complexity, that have outcomes measures that are “in the red,” or that have a liability trend. For each key process, an executive sponsor is named, and a process owner is identified. The process owners attend specific training in process management, principles of human error and event prevention, drivers of process and procedure non-compliance and the 12 Steps of Focus & Simplify. Teams are guided and coached through a successful first application of Focus & Simplify and then able to continue to apply Focus & Simplify to other work processes within their area of focus.